Step 5. Choose “Reboot into Recovery” to boot into recovery. You can also install a new ROM using “Install ROM from SD Card” but just in case something goes wrong, let me show you how to do it manually or if you have to zip Google apps separately.

Step 6. Choose “wipe data/factory reset” using Volume keys and hit the Power button to choose.

Step 7. Choose “Yes” and hit the Power button.

Step 8. Choose “install zip from sdcard” and hit the Power button.

Step 9. Choose “choose zip from sdcard” and hit the Power button.

Step 10. Choose the ROM zip file you copied over to your internal storage and hit the Power button.

Nexus S Reference
You will need a rooted Nexus S to install all ROM/kernels.NOTE: PLEASE ONLY INSTALL ROMS INTENDED FOR YOUR VERSION OF Nexus S! Otherwise you WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE and I will not be responsible!How to Root Nexus S!

86 Responses to How to Install a ROM on Nexus S or Nexus S 4G!

Great tutorial! I do have a few questions though. Would I need to install Rom Manager everytime I flash a rom? Is it because flashing removes the app? I also noticed that you have several roms in your sd folder (saw all those zip files). Do those files get deleted upon flashing or not?

Hey Max, I have the nexus s 4g, I’ve installed the combo Trinity and cm7 that you suggested and it works great but theres two problems.. I’m now not Able to use tango or Skype, also I’ve lost the capability to use the Google wallet feature with the NFC. Any suggestions on how I can get these functions back? Thanks

Thank you very much for your videos.
I flash Cyanogenmod latest rom, but there was no way to add google account. I did not found anything about it on the net until I look your video that tell to install the google app as a separate zip !

try making sure to go into market and download ROM Manager, grant it SU permissions, and then install the latest version of Clockwork Recovery, which is the first option in ROM Manager, this got rid of the error for me!

Same thing happens with me.. Its not bricked as you can do a hard reset (remove the battery and then again put it in) But that just discourages me to install the rom because if during the process something like this happens, then my phone might be bricked :-/

I can’t find any fix for this error that shows on screen while installing the clockworkmod recovery “An error occurred while attempting to run privileged commands” please reply to the messages, i think there are others also who are facing the same issue

Thanks a lot man 🙂
Successfully rooted my phone and installed the ICS ROM.
Thanks for such an easy step by step guide.
Just not sure about the battery usage.
Currently Android OS & Android system is consuming too much of battery.

Im quite new to Android but am I right in thinking, I can have numerous roms stored on in my nexus s memory and install as and when I wish?? Im ready to install a rom. Im rooted and have installed Clockwork Recovery and atm, Im looking around at roms. If I can have as many roms stored on my phone as I want, I can just change them whenever I get bored. Thanks guys

Will this work if I have used your “How to root Nexus S/4G ICS or Gingerbread” which makes me install the TWRP recovery?! Looks like a great tutorial, I just don’t want to flash 2 Recoveries and have phone go boom! :3

Yo thanx for all the info and “how too’s”. But im a bit of a noob and i messed up big time..BRICKED.. I have a Nexus s on I9020XXKB3 i think, i cant check because its bricked atm. I was trying to install CM7 after i rooted via your method and i kept getting the “SD card error number 7” when trying to install .zip from sd card. Because of my fat fingers i miss clicked and formatted everything in fastboot thus deleting my restore to the stock firmware.
I then tryed to flash back to the stock rom but of course i flashed the wrong rom it was a I9020T…..
It now wont turn on, or show anything on the screen. i have tryed a few methods to no avail; Unbrickable Mod and oneclick, but both programs cannot detect my device…. help me pleas, do i need to jtag it because that would be a suckfest.

What i did is probably the worst thing u can do to a rooted droid =[ lol. In cwm i formatted i think all the partition’s on the phone, if not most. then without a reboot and realizing the awsomeness of what i just did; i tryed to flash a new rom into the phone.. it was the wrong one x[ .. ima phone killer /cry
Is that a Hard brick ??

I followed your instructions and installed the ROM you published on Jan 22nd and even though it said the installation was successful, my Nexus S seems to be stuck on the start-up animation (those colorful tiles) and won’t load my phone… It’s been like that for several minutes.

Whenever I try to do step 2, I get an error message saying “An error occurred while attempting to run privileged commands!”. What does this mean and how to I get it to work? I am not running any custom ROM’s yet, still the basic.

I am sorry, but you are not explaining the exact procedure to install the ICS Matr1x Kernel combo. I first rooted the phone, and then installed the ICS and at the same time the matr1x kernel. My phone does not work know, and I don’t know what to do. I hope you can help me before I smash it to the wall. Heeeeeeeeelp!!!!!!!

so on my Nexus S 4G i had it rooted, i was goiing to try adding a new ROM as you instructed me in the video. but it didnt work and i didnt back up and restore my stock rom. WHAT CAN I DO about this situation, pleas someone help me i need help! 🙁

My Phone Stop Boot and stor anly Logo (Google)
and i cant do anything i can go to bootlader but i cant go to (apply update from sdcard)
stor .E:faild to mount/sdcard(No such file Or directory)

i try to unlock my mobile

i write fastboot oem unlock and i see the Q.unlock boot? i press yes but i get the msg : Faild *remote :Erase fail

i try to go to Odin but i cant acces to my phone

but i go to recovery and i press

Wipe data /factory reset
wipe cach partition
nothing to its the samme i see only logo i try to so mush the press off on so after the phone work so i erase all data factory and the phone work good but when i restart my phone the problem go back only stop boot on *google* i try again
wipe data and wipe cash but dont work
how can i fix my sdcard? i know 100% my mobile dont see the sdcard derfor i cant acces to unlock phone and
i have nexus s Ics 4,0,3
i9020
please help me im waiting ..

I recently bought an unlocked Google Nexus S GT-i9020T from eBay. The Device works fine on Tmobile network and bootable screen showing the Status=UNLOCKED.
When I got it to India and tried inserting an Airtel SIM in it. The phone shows complete Signal strength but says emergency calls only. On the lock screen it says insert SIM.
When I search for available mobile networks it shows my network but unable to connect to it. It does not even ask for unlock code when I insert a SIM from another carrier.
Is this because the phone is locked or is there some other problem?

Hey I have a quick question.
So I know that every time you install a ROM you have t wipe it and reset it to factory settings. This sucks Obvs. So do I really have to install all my apps again every time or is there a way have all your apps come back? I used like 4 diff ROMS and each time I just been re-installing all my apps! So annoying! Please tell me there’s a better way!
Thanks

Hi guys, please say me why i can`t use the RECOVERY.. when i get in to the RECOVERY SYSTEM then it`s ERROR.. and that`s why i can`t do something as a ROM..
please help to me for fix this problemm somebody ??
and respond to my mail please or facebook…

i found that place on Rom manager but it was costing with money but i am not using the money to pay something in Market, so is it not possible without payment ???
or maybe i just confused 🙁
please help, cuz. i can`t use recovery.. i don`t know what`s the reason

I have rooted my Nexus s and i started searching for new ROMs via ROM manager. I then downloaded a MIUI.us ROM and it is completely different to the ROM i had previously. With the previous ROM, i could easily access the google play store, down load my apps and what not. Now i can’t even do any of that. There’s not even a menu button. Is there a way to retrieve the ROM I had previously? If you can, please reply. this is very urgent

I am also getting the same error. when I try to flash recovery in ROM manager it says an error occurred and when I try to manually boot into recovery, a green android lying on the ground with a red triangular exclamation mark is the only thing I get. Please help me! waiting for your reply…

Hi, I hope someone can help me. I rooted my 9023 using the method here and installed a CM9 ROM no problems everything worked fine. At a later date I tried to install an original ROM, I did a data/factory reset and a cache wipe and tried to install the new ROM I keep getting the following message when I try to install any new ROM

dear nexusshacks, im so grateful to u that u helped me in rooting my phone, i rooted it by downloading the nexussroot.zip and did all the process, but now my rom manager is not letting me flash the clockworkmod recovery, when ever i click, after cmpleting its process it says “error occured and bla bla……” what should i do to flash it …… so i can install a new rom for my nexus s, and do tell me which rom should i install for the ics…….

Hey. I go to my rom manager. It says there is a update for cwm recovery. i go to recovery setup and click cwm recovery under install of update recovery. click on google nexus s. then click flash cwm recovery. error comes up saying an error occured while flashing your recovery. What do i do?

Hello everybody,
I NEED HELP!!
Thanks for your work in trying to improve our phones.
I loved that someone would answer me some simple (difficult for me) questions about installing roms, I have installed a jelly beely rom on my Nexus S (I bought it like that) and I’m not sure which kernel I have installed, I have installed cwm and have already made a backup of my rom.
If I install a rom + kernel-combo can I reinstall back to my old rom backup, even though I have installed another kernel?
How do I know which kernel I have installed? and what are the roms that are compatible with it?
In contrast with many roms, rom-combo available, not sure which rom install for everyday use, some suggestions??
I have a beautiful i9023 and work well with the current rom, I already had a hardbrick with my galaxi mini (rom manager) now I have some fear, was still under warranty and came as new, then decided to install CyanogenMod 10.1 (without rom manager) on galaxy mini and everything went well, amazing rom, and would like to install on nexus s …
PLEASE HELP ME …
excuse me for my bad English (google translator) …

please help me i m new user and i followed your steps for rooting my nexus s i done all root my nexus s and super user but when i install rom manager and select flash recovery the downloading starts and when 100% downloading complete there is following error comes
“an error occurred while flashing your recovery”

Hi.I have tried jellybean ROM for my nexus s and installed then I got jellybam here.
Iq want to install that but after click on recovery In fastboot and Google logo came on it stop there and l’ve to take my battery out.
What am I gonna dooooo

the Manager looks a little different, when I choose “Recovery Setup” and try to install ClockworkMod it´s been downloaded an then an error occured. It´s not possible to flash. Don´t know what to do.
I cannot go into any recovery system, a red mark is shown after fastboo->Recovery
Help?